Oceanus Travel Agency Luxor

[Chris]

I used the above Agency to meet and great friends of mine at Hurghada Airport, transfer them to a Hotel in Hurghada and then drive them up to Luxor the next day. Later the Agency transferred them back to Luxor Airport. All at a reasonable price.Their staff were prompt, welcoming and professional. I thoroughly recommend them. The Agency is run by Ahmed Ballal tel 01001838894 The Office is situated near to the Sheraton Hotel (or whatever it is called now) Luxor .

[carrie]

Quite a lot has been written on here about Oceanus, formally Petra, all positive. As Ahmed says it takes a long time to gain a good reputation and a moment to lose it. A few weeks ago when Yildez stayed we wanted to go to the White Desert and beyond. We did ask some guides if we could go, no problem camp in the desert perfectly safe. When we asked Ahmed if he could arrange for us to go he flatly refused , he said it wasn't safe, which we knew really, he wont take us anywhere that he doesn't think is perfectly safe. Says a lot about him and his company many tour companies will take you anywhere but he cares and wont do anything for money. I cant speak highly enough of him and Mahmoud the driver we usually use.

[Horus]

Used Petra loads, never had a problem

[FarleyFlavors]

I never use anyone else. They're a first class company.

If you want to arrange something with them from outside Egypt they respond fairly quickly on Facebook Messenger ("Oceanus luxor").

[Who2]

The White Desert is safe unless of course you are Mexican....

[carrie]

As you say Who it might be safe but the UK Gov web site advises against travel there an I should imagine that for anyone with travel insurance if something happens to them there then their insurance will be invalid. Ahmed in Oceanus knows more than me and I am perfectly happy to take his advice.

[HEPZIBAH]

As you say Who it might be safe but the UK Gov web site advises against travel there an I should imagine that for anyone with travel insurance if something happens to them there then their insurance will be invalid. Ahmed in Oceanus knows more than me and I am perfectly happy to take his advice.

Presumably, Ahmed will also have to take into consideration whether or not it is safe and/or advisable to send his staff and vehicles there.

[John Landon]

I tried to get out into the desert with a good friend who was a local lived on the WB. He refused, and he was a well connected man back in the day, and always happy to earn a few quid.
OK, its been 6 years since I was last there and perhaps times have changed, ? but my planned excursion out into the desert was not to have anyone else around, I didnt fancy one of those tourist trips.

[Dusak]

It beggars belief why anyone would want a trip into the desert in the first place, all you can see is 'ucking sand.

[John Landon]

There's lots buried under that sand... You think that was always a desert ? I certainly doubt the timescale that is given for the desetification of North Africa, given some of the objects that have been found out there that would have served no purpose in a desert.

But that was not the purpose for me, it was a chance to be out there amongst the vastness of the desert, and then at night, far away from people and light pollution for a while and do some stargazing.

[HEPZIBAH]

But that was not the purpose for me, it was a chance to be out there amongst the vastness of the desert, and then at night, far away from people and light pollution for a while and do some stargazing.

Many moons ago, way back last century, I travelled to Niger. I didn't just hop on a plane, I travelled overland in an old, ex-army, truck. The journey took us across France and Spain before crossing over into Morocco, across the Atlas mountains into Algeria, and then on down to Mali, and Niger. So, I have travelled the Sahara Desert north to south and back again.
To be out there, in that amazing and varied wilderness is incredible during the day, but by night it is awesome, and awful in its truest sense. Sitting under a sky of velvety deepest dark blue inky sky, and see the myriad of diamond bright shining stars, is one of the most overpowering experiences I've ever had.
Of course, there were many other things to experience, and endure when crossing the Sahara, but I would not change one moment.

I have to admit, I roll my eyes and inwardly cringe when the subject of the Sahara has come up with a number of Egyptian men. And when they've told me that it's not safe for a woman to drive to Hurghada I've laughed in their face and the walked away.

[John Landon]

Not jealous much Hepzibah...

had I been born a few years earlier, I imagine I would have done all this stuff in the mid to late 1970's when travelling was so much easier than it is today.
Not that I am belittleing any of the experiences I have enjoyed in life. some that no one has to my knowledge ever

I did do some acid one night and enjoyed the stars from the privacy of my own back garden. Now that experience was pretty amazing to say the least...

[HEPZIBAH]

A few years later I took my first ever flight and went to Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso. We then drove one of the trucks back up to Niger. I did experience the desert that trip, but spent much more time in the countryside, towns and cities.

Both of my West African trips involved a lot of unplanned experiences including horrific sandstorms, our truck breaking down in the Niger/Algeria desert, and a coup d'etat in Burkina Faso (that will date my travels). I never arrived back in the UK on my due date, but that was OK, it just added to my life's experiences - although it certainly added to my mother's worries.


Sorry, I've somewhat taken this thread off topic.

I'm not sure if Ahmed Ballal of Oceanus fame could organise a trip covering the areas of desert I've visited, but if he could I'd be willing to try it out.

[John Landon]

All things happen for a reason Hepzibah.. Even the so called bad things in life...

we had a trip planned when were in the Yucatan.. Got up at 4Am and waited for the tour bus to arrive to pick us up, and after a 2 hour wait, we contacted the company and they said that had forgotten to book us on that trip so rearranged the trip for 2 days later.

2 days later we got on the bus and had been upgraded to a first class trip with eveything included, we also found ourself on top of a Pyramid at noon on the Autum solstice...

[Dusak]

Funnily enough my friend upstairs returned home this evening from a several hour jaunt into the desert regions with others. She was glowing red due to over exposure to the sun, showed me her photo's showing loads of sand, sandy rocks, sandy hills and a sandy semi mountain. She said she had a nice day.